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Monday, 21 July 2014

Yes, I admit it: I haven't done any indexing for over a year. So this Event was definitely more of a Challenge for me. What is/was it?

For 24 hours on 20-21 July 2014 (depending on your timezone), indexers around the world were asked to submit a batch. That was it. No huge numbers of batches or indexing-for-the-whole-24 (unless, of course, you happened to be our Stake Indexing Director, who is marvellous). Just one batch, at some point during the 24 hours (whenever was most convenient).

My batch was taken from the 1866 baptism register for an area of Manchester. Eight entries. Yes, only eight!, handwritten in clear writing which only made me stop once and have to work out what one letter was. Took me all of 10 minutes. And that was it! Date, baby's name, gender, father's name, mother's name. Of course, there are more difficult ones to do - but only if you want to do them. And, after doing easy-peasy ones, most people relish the thought of something that takes a few more brain cells.

Now, every time I see an announcement that FamilySearch has released billions more records, I can pat myself on the back and feel a part of it. But indexing is so much more than my very own pat. Think of all the deceased persons who now stand a better chance of their records being found. Think of all the living persons who now stand a better chance of knocking down those genealogical brick walls (you know the ones: where you have been searching for an ancestor for thirty years, and can't find him anywhere). Now, instead of patting my own back, I really feel as though I am putting my arm around other people's shoulders.

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I live in the Southwest of England. I write children's books in my spare time; in my other spare time I author blogs on genealogy, Star Trek and writing. In my other other spare time I study and work on genealogy on WikiTree.